Week 2 Primer – #23 Indiana vs. Kennesaw State Owls

What: #23 Indiana Hoosiers (1-0) vs. Kennesaw State Owls (0-1) When: Saturday, September 6 at Noon Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

Cignetti eyes red zone improvement — Aug 30, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks along the sideline during the first half against the Old Dominion Monarchs at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

What: #23 Indiana Hoosiers (1-0) vs. Kennesaw State Owls (0-1)

When: Saturday, September 6 at Noon

Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on FS1 and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.

Spread and Total: Indiana (-35.5)/Total of 52.5

Series History: This is the first matchup between the Hoosiers and the Owls. This is the second straight game in which IU is playing a first-time opponent.

What’s at Stake: If the Indiana Hoosiers come out with the right focus and mindset, the outcome of this game will not be in doubt in the second half. Indiana should comfortably move to 2-0 and that is priority number one.

Beyond that, IU will be looking to clean up the mistakes that were made last season (red zone issues, dropped passes and big plays surrendered in the run game) and develop depth in the second and third-strings.

A Few Things to Look For

Red Zone Execution

Kennesaw State’s defense has very clearly improved from what they put on the field in 2024. While Wake Forest is expected to be one of the worst power conference teams in the country, it was still a statement by the Owls to limit the Demon Deacons to just 2.8 yards per carry on 47 attempts. That run defense will be tested against IU’s rushing attack after the Hoosiers racked up 309 yards on the ground.

The only issue for Indiana last week occurred when they got inside the 10-yard line. The Hoosiers were stuffed multiple times by Old Dominion and cleaning up the red zone execution is surely a big priority for Curt Cignetti and Mike Shanahan. Indiana should be able to move the ball on this Kennesaw State defense but can they finish the drives better than they did against the Monarchs?

2. Staying Focused on Defense

All in all, IU’s defense had a really nice day against a dangerous Old Dominion offense. Two long touchdown runs by quarterback Colton Joseph served as a reminder of how important it is to remain “locked in”. Kennesaw State does not have a runner as explosive as Joseph but they do have an offense featuring a mobile quarterback that will almost certainly be used often as a runner.

Former Indiana quarterback Dexter Williams ran the ball 14 times for 54 yards in Kennesaw State’s opening week defeat to Wake Forest. His long run was only 13 yards but Kennesaw State but the offense is going to challenge IU’s ability to remain disciplined and not blow any defensive assignments.

3. Developing Depth

The Indiana Hoosiers should be able to spend much of the second half rotating players in and giving much-needed experience to some young backups. The most important position for this is probably safety as IU lost Bryson Bonds to injury last week and the status of Louis Moore beyond this week is up in the air. Byron Baldwin was listed as “day to day” after missing the win over ODU but the freshman definitely needs some snaps because it is clear he’s going to be needed in some capacity.

Beyond safety, players like Lebron Bond and Charlie Becker should get some opportunities and we could see Alberto Mendoza get some snaps along with young offensive linemen that the coaching staff is excited about.